Chap. 7. 



BOTANY OF VERMONT. 



219 



FRUIT TREES. 



in the spring, just before the appearance 

 of the leaves. 



Besides the native forest trees which 

 have been used for shade and ornament, 

 several exotics have been introduced for 

 the same purposes. A little more than 30 

 years ago tlie Lombardy poplar, populus 

 dilatata, was brought into the state, and 

 was, for a time, e.xtensively propagated, 

 and much admired. Its growth was ex- 

 tremely rapid, and tiie appearance of the 

 young tree was very pretty, but it was 

 soon ibund that tiiese were its only recom- 

 mendations, v^hich were more than coun- 

 terbalanced by several positive objections. 

 The wood was found to be soft and brit- 

 tle, and nearly useless for fuel or any 

 other purposes. As the barren and fertile 

 flowers of this poplar g*ow on separate 

 trees, and as none but trees blearing bar- 

 ren flowers have been introduced into 

 this country, no seed is brought to perfec- 

 tion, and being propagated wholly by 

 shoots, its growth, though rapid, was soon 

 found to be feeble and sickly. Before the 

 trees attained any considerable magni- 

 tude, tlie top branches would begin to die 

 and fall oft", rendering them unsightly, 

 and giving them, while young, the ap- 

 pearance of decrepitude and decay, and 

 littering the grounds and walks with limbs 

 and rubbish. These circumstances, and 

 the disgusting worms bred among their 

 foliage, gradually lessened them in the 

 public estimation, and for many years 

 past no pains have been taken to propa- 

 gate them. Many of the old trees have been 

 cut down, and those which remain are 

 generally in a decaying, dilapidated con- 

 dition, and the prospect now is that i\\ey 

 will, in a few years, become extinct. 



The locust tree, liohinia pseudo-acacia, 

 is one of our most beautiful and agreeable 

 shade trees, and is very much prized, par- 

 ticularly in the western part of the state. 

 It thrives best on the light, warm soil, 

 which was originally covered with forests 

 of white pine, but either the soil or the 

 climate of our mountain towns is unfa- 

 vorable to its growth; and hence it is not 

 often met with in the central parts of tiie 

 state. Fears are now entertained that all 

 our locust trees will be destroyed by the 

 Borer. 



Fruit Trees. For many years after the 

 settlement of this state was commenced, 

 very little attention was paid to the culti- 

 vation of fruit trees. Apple orchards, it 

 is true, were early planted in many places, 

 and in some cases a few plumbs, cherries 

 and perhaps pears, but they were gener- 

 ally suftered to produce their natural fruit, 

 and very little effort was made to improve 

 it by pruning and cultivation. But for a 



few years past much more attention has 

 been given to this subject, and many 

 choice varieties of these fruits have been 

 introduced and extensively propagated by 

 grafting and budding. 



Apple. Perils inaliis. — This is our 

 most important and abundant fruit, and is 

 found to flourish in all parts of the state. 

 In the older parts the orchards became 

 very extensive, the trees large, and im- 

 mense quantities of apples were produced. 

 These were mostly manufactured into ci- 

 der, in consequence of which much more 

 cider was made than could well be con- 

 sumed, in its crude state, even wlien it 

 was customary for all to drink it as free- 

 ly, or more so, than water, and the price 

 abroad did not warrant the expense of 

 transportation. Distillation was therefore 

 resorted to, and large quantities of cider 

 brandy were manufactured. Tlie farmers 

 generally having large orchards could 

 each make, without inconvenience, from 

 half a barrel to two or three barrels of this 

 liquor, and when they had it in their hou- 

 ses, as it did not seem to have cost them 

 much, they felt themselves at liberty to 

 use it very freely; and to this single cir- 

 cumstance may be traced the temporal 

 and perhaps everlasting ruin of many of 

 our previously thrifty farmers. This cause 

 of ruin and misery was in the full tide of 

 operation when the first general move- 

 ment was made in New England on the 

 subject of temperance. 



But after the sjiell was broken, which 

 had so long bound down all our people to 

 the use, or acquiescence in the use, of 

 distilled spirits, and it was perceived that 

 these liquors were not only unnecessary, 

 but hurtful as a common drink, our far- 

 mers began to perceive that those large 

 portions of their lands which were cover- 

 ed with apple orchards were not only 

 yielding them no profit, but that which, 

 under tiieir present management, was do- 

 ing them a real injury. From this time 

 many endeavored to turn their apples to 

 a better account, by feeding them to their 

 cattle, and hogs, and horses, and for these 

 purposes they vi-ere found to be valuable^ 

 i)ut caution was necessary, that they 

 should not be fed in too large quantities 

 at a time, especially when tlie truit was 

 hard and sour. Many, whose orchards 

 were extensive, cut down large portions 

 of them, that the lands might be more 

 profitably employed in the ])roduction of 

 something else. At present our people 

 appear more anxious to improve their fruit 

 by grafting or inoculating choice varie- 

 ties upon the trees they already have, 

 than to enlars'e their orchards ; and their 

 are few countries which are capable of 



